Transmission & Structural Department Leader

Welcome to Verdantas, where innovation meets sustainability, and your career finds purpose! At Verdantas, we’re redefining environmental consulting and sustainable engineering through our use of cutting-edge modeling and digital technology and our genuine commitment to people. Our work spans high-growth sectors like water resources, resilient land use, energy transformation, and civil infrastructure. Our commitment to excellence, across more than 90 offices, is championed by a team of over 2,000 experts, scientists, engineers, geologists, and technical specialists, embedded in a people-focused culture, prioritizing the well-being of our employees, clients, and the communities we serve. We partner with clients to deliver smart, data-driven solutions to complex environmental and infrastructure challenges. We don’t just solve problems; we help shape a more sustainable future. Join a people-first culture that values your well-being, empowers your growth, and amplifies your impact. At Verdantas, your career goes beyond the expected, and your work helps build a better world. Ready to shape the future of resilient communities? We are seeking a dynamic, growth-minded Department Leader to oversee, lead, and expand our Transmission & Structural Department. The team delivers overhead and underground transmission line engineering, PLS-CADD modeling, transmission structure and foundation design, line routing and analysis, rehabilitation and upgrade design, and construction-phase engineering support for investor-owned utilities, public power entities, cooperatives, and private energy developers. This role blends operational leadership, strategic growth, business development, financial accountability, and mentorship. The Department Leader will set department direction, strengthen project delivery and QA/QC, build leadership depth, and coordinate resources across Verdantas offices and disciplines to deliver as one integrated team. The position can be remote, with preferred locations at our Grand Rapids, MI; Houston, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Denver, CO; San Diego, CA; Orlando, FL; or Wilkes-Barre, PA offices. Join us to help clients plan, modernize, and deliver safe, reliable, and resilient transmission infrastructure.

What You'll Do:

Operational, Financial & Delivery Leadership (40%)
Develop and execute a department strategy aligned with Energy Services, Power Delivery, and Verdantas growth objectives
Lead day-to-day operations of the Transmission & Structural Department, including workload forecasting, staffing, resource sharing, and delivery oversight across offices and client programs
Own department financial performance, including revenue, margin, utilization, backlog, collections, write-offs, annual planning, and budgeting
Monitor the health of the department project portfolio; address delivery risk, client escalations, quality concerns, and corrective actions in partnership with Project Managers, Group Leaders, Technical Leads, and Practice Leaders
Establish and maintain consistent department policies, procedures, design standards, QA/QC expectations, and performance metrics
Ensure high-quality, timely, constructible, and standards-compliant project delivery across overhead and underground transmission, structural, and foundation scopes

Business Development & Strategic Growth (30%)
Maintain strong visibility into the sales pipeline, hard backlog, staffing demand, and strategic client opportunities
Build and maintain relationships with utility clients, energy developers, EPC contractors, industry partners, and internal Verdantas leaders
Lead or support capture planning, proposal development, scope and fee strategy, contract negotiations, and commercial risk review for major pursuits
Expand transmission and structural services through cross-selling and integrated delivery with substation, distribution, geotechnical, environmental, survey, permitting, project controls, and construction support teams
Represent Verdantas at client meetings, industry conferences, technical forums, and networking events
Identify emerging market needs, delivery models, technologies, and service opportunities and translate them into an actionable department growth plan

People Leadership, Mentorship & Technical Stewardship (30%)
Recruit, develop, engage, and retain a high-performing team of engineers, designers, modelers, project managers, and technical specialists
Lead and develop Group Leaders and direct reports; set clear goals, provide regular feedback, support succession planning, and build leadership bench strength
Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous learning, professional development, and One Team delivery across locations and legacy organizations
Provide senior technical guidance on complex or high-risk work and ensure appropriate technical authority, independent review, and Engineer-of-Record accountability are assigned
Stay current with evolving utility standards, codes, tools, design practices, and industry trends, and ensure relevant knowledge is shared across the department
Ensure compliance with health, safety, environmental, and professional practice requirements across projects and client engagements

How Success Will Be Measured:

The department meets or exceeds annual revenue, margin, utilization, backlog, and cash-performance objectives
Projects are delivered safely, on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with client and Verdantas quality requirements
Client relationships deepen, repeat work grows, and the department expands strategically across target utilities and energy markets
The department attracts, develops, and retains the talent and leadership capacity needed to support sustainable growth
Transmission & Structural teams operate as one coordinated department across offices, disciplines, and major client programs

What You'll Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in civil, structural, electrical, or mechanical engineering, or a closely related field
• Licensed Professional Engineer in at least one U.S. state, with the ability to obtain additional licensure as needed
• 15+ years of progressive experience in electric transmission engineering and design, including leadership of multidisciplinary teams, departments, or large programs in a utility, EPC, or A/E consulting environment
• Demonstrated operational and financial leadership, including budgeting, staffing, utilization, project margin, forecasting, and business development accountability
• Proven experience building client relationships, leading major pursuits, negotiating scope and commercial terms, and growing backlog
• Strong understanding of overhead and underground transmission line engineering, including line routing, PLS-CADD/PLS-POLE/PLS-TOWER applications, sag-tension and clearance analysis, structure loading, steel pole and lattice tower design, foundation design, material specifications, and construction support
• Working knowledge of applicable utility requirements and industry standards, including NESC and client-specific standards; experience with IEEE, ASCE, ACI, AISC, and applicable state requirements is beneficial
• Demonstrated ability to establish QA/QC discipline, manage technical and commercial risk, and deliver complex work across multiple offices and project teams
• Excellent leadership, communication, decision-making, and interpersonal skills, with a record of developing people and building collaborative teams
• Ability to create, implement, and execute a national strategic growth plan for the Transmission & Structural Department

Salary Range:

At Verdantas, we offer comprehensive benefits packages for our employees. Actual salary is based on the circumstances of each position and candidate, including geographic location, skills, experience, and certifications. We recognize and reward exceptional performance and strive to ensure fair compensation across all roles and departments within the company. The minimum salary for this position is $200,000, negotiable based on the criteria presented above.

• Flexible Work Environment
• Paid Parental Leave
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Paid Time Off + Holidays

Verdantas strives to develop new ways to increase diversity awareness within our organization. We recruit and reward our employees based on capability and performance — regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, lifestyle, age, educational background, national origin, religion, or physical ability. For us, it is imperative to build balanced teams from all walks of life and we believe that a diverse workforce is a stronger workforce.

Verdantas is an EOE race/color/religion/sex/sexual orientation/gender identity/national origin/disability/vet